cipralex..advice needed

[marie.s]

hi all..i have been suffering on and off for a few years with panic attacks and have periods of depression..been on a lot of meds but to be honest i really don't like taking them..over the last 8 weeks or so i have started to have panic attacks again..not full blown panics all the time..anyway i was given venlafaxine and took a reaction to it ..was in hospital for a few hours so you can imagine how i felt..now i have been given cipralex//escitalopram..dosage 5mg at night for 1st week then up to the 10mg..but i am really scared to take it incase the same thing happens again..i tried to take half of it 2 weeks ago .and after 5 min i went and made myself sick..panicked ..stupid i no..spoke to doctor and she told me to even 1/4 it then when i feel ready go to the half dosage and so on ..had a terrible night last night.then at 5.15 am..was that bad i took half a valium..so feel like crap just now....

[bab]

Hi Marie

I had an allergy to venalafaxine and that sparked a whole phobia in itself about being allergic to pretty much anything. Anyway, I have been on cipralex for just over a year now. Im not going to pretend that the first few weeks were easy as they werent but with any of these tablets you have to push through the first couple of weeks till you come out the other end. I think this is a very good drug. i did 5mg for 3 weeks and went onto 10 - pm me anytime x

[alias_kev]

I found escitalopram very effective as an antidepressant and helpful but not effective enough for me as an anxiety treatment (for GAD).

I was pretty lucky about side effects even during the initial phase. Or it may just be that I was already so headachy/tired/poor sleep that I didn't notice!

The worst initial symptoms for me were:

lots of dream recall (and possibly lots of powerful dreams, or maybe I just remembered normal ones),
night sweats (but cold without covers).
headachy and sleepy during the day (but I was already so hard to say?)The medication is pretty slow start in the body epecially for the benefits so you need to take it for a fortnight or longer before you can say if its helping you. Obviously you'd stop if the side-effects were dangerous BUT otherwise its worth suffering them to see what help you out the other side.

Your start on 5mg is nice and slow. The normal treatment dose is 10mg. There are some arguments about whether 20mg is any more effective than 10mg. I'd say it was for me BUT individual metabolism may affect that. Certainly some side effects were more noticable on 20mg and I could tell when I'd had too many doses in a row and then used to take only 10mg on one of the days. Main sign of this was a leaning towards a migraine when mostly the medication blocked or prevented my traditional migraines.

I started straight on 10mg per day and later went to 20mg. So it can be done. I had them from June 08 to this week (April 09). If you are prone to panic the biggest thing you have to fight is that the illness will make you fear the treatment. The meds may not suit you, but it will take a while to find out.

Technically Venlafaxine is significantly different from most other antidepressants. It is an SNRI (s (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serotonin-norepinephrine_reuptake_inhibitor)erotonin-norepinephrin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serotonin-norepinephrine_reuptake_inhibitor)e reuptake inhibitor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serotonin-norepinephrine_reuptake_inhibitor)) whereas Escitalopram in an SSRI (Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors). The seratonin related property is pretty similar but venlafaxine has a whole interaction with norepinephrin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serotonin-norepinephrine_reuptake_inhibitor)e (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serotonin-norepinephrine_reuptake_inhibitor) a different brain chemical. Some quick reading the other day suggested to me that this is the key benefit and risk of venla'. Provided its that that made you unwell before you should be pretty safe with the SSRIs.

I am assuming that your bad reaction did not involve seratonin syndrome/toxicity. If it did then I think your GP should work closely with you in giving your any seratonin affecting medication.

[marie.s]

thanks ..just really scared of trying something new now..been discussed with my therapist that when i see her next i take my first tablet when i am with her.which is for an hour..so i am thinking of giving it a go..if i get the courage to do it..fingers crossed..

[marie.s]

thanks Babs..IL give you a wee mail. if that's OK.xx

[bab]

of course, lots of love xx

[marie.s]

started taking the quarter tablet on wed..with my psychologist..thur/fri took it with my ot..today im myself .trying to pluck up the courage to take the half tablet. instead of the quarter .need some advice guys..

[marie.s]

:unsure:

[bab]

how are you getting on? x